2014 AUDI A6 suspension

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 19
II! Engine start system fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a ma lfunction in the en­
gine start system.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dea le r immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
~ Air suspension
Appl ies to vehicles: with air suspension
• Air suspension: system fault. Can contin­
ue slowly with max. 35 mph .
There is a malfunct ion that can result in re­
stricted dr iv ing stab ility.
Carefully drive at a maximum speed of 35
mph (60 km/h) to your authorized Audi dealer
or qua lified workshop to have the malfunction
cor rected.
• Air suspension: service mode. Vehicle
can only be moved with restrictions
Carefully drive to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop immediately to have
the service mode deactivated .
II Air suspension fault
There is a system ma lfunction that can result
in restricted driving stability or reduced
ground clearance.
Dr ive to your a uthorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
II Air suspension: vehicle too low. Ground
clearance reduced
The ground clearance is very low due to a sys­
tem malfunct ion . Wait until the air suspen­
sion system has restored normal ground clear­
ance. Otherwise, conditions such as an uneven
road surface can lead to vehicle damage.
G:;/ !f Safety systems
The fl (USA models) ;EI (Canada models) in­
dicator light monitors the safety systems (e.g .
airbags, pretensioners) and illuminates for a few
seconds each time you switch the ignition
on .
If the fl (USA models);EI (Canada models)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates while you are driving, or if it starts to
blink, then there is a malfunction somewhere
in the system.
If the light does not illum inate
when you switch the ign ition on, th is also
means there is a malfunct ion.
A WARNING
If you have a malfunction in the safety sys­
tems, contact your authorized Audi dealer immediately. Otherwise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an acc i­
dent.
& Central indicator light
If the indicator light. or n turns on, check
the message in the instrument cluster .
nlft Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
If the JjJ indicator light blinks while driving,
the ESC or ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation) is active ­
ly regulating.
If the
$.J indicator light turns on, the system
has switched the ESC off. In this case, you can
switch the ign ition off and then on to switch
the ESC on aga in. The indicator light turns off
when the system is functioning fu lly.
If the
1B indicator light turns on, ESC was re­
stricted using the
1 .$ OFF I button c> page 194.
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS): Fault! See
owner's manual
If the G) indicator light and the ABS indicator
light
fJ] (USA mode ls) ;flJ (Canada models)
turn on and the message appears, the ABS or electronic differential lock is malfunctioning.
This also causes the ESC to malfunction . The
brakes still function with their normal power,
but ABS is not active .
liJI,

100 Audi drive select
Audi drive select
Driving settings
Introduction
Aud i d rive select mak es it possible to expe ri­
ence diffe ren t types of vehi cle se ttin gs i n o ne
ve hicl e. The dr ive r can se lect th ree
Comfort ,
Auto and Dynamic modes in the M MI to
switch between a sporty and a comforta ble
driving mo de.
You c an a lso a djust the setti ng according to
your p re ferences in the
Individual mode . F o r
examp le, you ca n combine settings such as a
sporty en gine t uning with comfortab le steer­
ing.
A WARNING
Improper use of the A udi drive select can
cause collisions, ot her acc idents and se ri­
ous pe rsonal injury.
Description
The vehicle setup in each mode depends on
the veh icl e's featu res. The engine, t ransm is­
sion, stee ring, reve rsible sa fe ty belt tension­
e rs a nd adap tive air su spension are alw ays in­
volved.
Engine and transmission
Depending on the mode, the e ng ine and the
tra nsmission respond quic ker or i n a more bal­
an ced manne r to acce le rator pedal move­
men ts. In the sporty dyn ami c mode, the
tra nsmission sh ifts at highe r RP Ms.
Air suspension*
The adaptive air suspens ion/adaptive air sus­
pension spor t*
(Air suspen sion in the MM I) is
a n e lec tronic ally con trolled air suspension and
da mpi ng sys tem. They are adjus ted depend­
ing on the se lected driving mode, the drive r's
steeri ng, braking an d acceleration input and
the road s urface, ve hicle speed and load. A
sporty setting is generally used in ve hicles
with adaptive air suspension sport*. T
he veh icle clearance varies depending on the
se lected mo de an d the speed .
T he highway setti ng is a ct ivated automatic ally
whe n you dr ive above 7 5 mph (120 km/ h) fo r
more than
3 0 seconds in the Auto or Dynamic
mode. The gro und clea rance is increased a uto ­
matically if the speed drops below
44 mph
(70 km/h) for more than 120 seconds.
Steering
T he s teer ing adap ts in terms of s teer ing effor t
and steering ratios . Indirect stee ring that
moves easily, like the steer ing in comfo rt
mode, is best suited to long drives on a high­
way. In contrast, dynamic mode provides sporty, direct steer ing .
Sport differential*
As a component of the all whee l drive system
(quattro)
¢ page 198, the Sport differential *
dist ributes the driving power to the rear ax le
depending on the sit uat ion. The distrib ution
of power var ies depend ing on the selected
mode, from balanced (comfort) to agile (dy­
nam ic) . Th e goal is a h igh level of ag ility and
ability to acce lerate on cu rves . Th e ve hicl e is
very res ponsive to stee ring.
Curve light*
The curve light adapts to driving on curves .
T he pivo ting act io n and the lighting are also
adapt ed to the mode .
Adaptive cruise control*
The behav ior when accelerating can be adjust­
ed from comfortab le to sporty, depending on
the drive select mode. Adaptive cru ise cont ro l
also responds to th e dr iv ing behavior o f th e
vehicle a head in a mo re co nse rvative o r sporty
man ne r.
Engine sound*
The sound of the eng ine is adapted to the se­
lected mode and ranges from sub tle to sporty . .,.

(D Note
-Make sure there is enough clearance
above and below the veh icle when park­
ing. The height of the vehicle can change
once it is parked due to temperature
fluctuations, changes to the load cond i­
tions and changes to the dr iv ing modes,
which can affect clearance .
- When t ransporting the veh icle on a car
carr ier, tra in, ship or by other means, on­
l y tie the veh icle dow n at the runni ng
su rface of the tires, which is the ou ter
ci rcumference . Secur ing t he vehicle at
the a xle components, s uspension str uts
or tow ing eyes is not pe rm itted because
the pressu re in the air suspension st ruts
can change during transport. The vehicle may not be secu red sufficiently if this
happens.
- If you are going to tow a trailer, you
must activate the trailer operation mode
<=> page 206.
{!) Tips
-In some models, the maximum vehicle
speed can only be reached in the
Auto
and Dynami c modes.
- Se lecting the
Dynamic mode results in
spo rty sh ifting character istics. The S
gear posit ion engages automatically.
- In vehicles with spo rt differential", the
Dynamic mode is deactivated when tow­
i ng a trailer.
Adjusting the Individual mode
Audi dri ve sele ct 101
Selecting the driving mode
You can choose between Comfort, Auto, Dy­
namic and Individual .
Fig. 103 MMI: D rive select
.,.. To select the mode, se lect the following in
the MMI: ICARlf unction button>
Comfort ,
Auto , Dynamic or Individual.
You can change the d riv ing mode when the ve­
hicle is stationary or wh ile driving.
If traffic
permi ts, after changing modes, briefly take
yo ur f oot off the acce lerator pedal so that the
recently selected mode is a lso activated for
the engine.
Comfort -prov ides a comfor t-orie nted veh icle
setup and is s uited fo r long drives on h igh­
ways .
Auto -provides an overall comfo rtable yet dy­
nam ic dr iving feel and is suited for every day
u se .
Dynamic -gives the driver a sporty d riving
feel and is suited to a spo rty driv ing style .
Individual -<=> page 101.
_.& WARNING
-Pay attention to traffic when operating
Audi d rive select to prevent potential risk
of an ac cident.
-
You can adjust the vehicle settings to your personal preferences .
.,.. Se lect : I CARI funct ion button> Set ind ividu ­
al
control button. You can now adjust the in­
dividua l systems. The
Indi
vidu al driving mode wi ll automatical­
ly be activated when you have finished config-
uring the sett ings. ..,_

102 Audi drive select
The equipment in your vehicle w ill determine
which settings you ca n adj ust. The fo llowing
Systems Comfort
Engine /Tran smission
balanced
Air suspension * comfortable
Steering comforta ble
Sport d iff erent ial * balanced
Curve light* comfortab le
Belt tensioner * Standard
Adaptive cruise control * comfortable
Engine sound* subtle table p
rov ides a n overview of the characteris ­
tics of eac h driving mode .
Auto Dynamic
balanced sporty
ba lanced sporty
ba lanced spo
rty
ag ile sporty
ba lanced spo
rty
Standard Deployment time
adapted
ba lanced sporty
subtle/spo rtyal
sporty
al Subtle in the driving pos itio n D and sporty in th e d riving pos itio n S.
{DJ Tips
Your Individual mode se ttings are a uto­
mat ica lly store d an d assig ned to t he re­
mote co ntro l key being use d.
Raising/lowering the
vehicle
Raising the vehicle
You can ra ise your veh icle tempora rily, for ex­
ample to dr ive over a tall curb.
., Se lect the following in the
MMI: ICAR !f u nc ­
tion button >
Raise contro l button .
., Wait for the arrows in the display to stop
blinking and the vehicle to reach its fina l po­
s it ion.
Lowering the vehicle
., To lower t he veh icle, select the fo llowing in
the
M MI: ICARlfunction button> Lowe r con­
t ro l button .
., Wait for the a rrows in the display to stop
blinking and the vehicle to lower complete­
l y.
{(D Note
- Remember that your veh icle is not s uita­
ble for driving offroad even when it is
r aised. There is not enough ground clear­
ance. -
If the vehicle is ra ised, it will lower auto­
m at ically whe n driving 6 2 mph (1 00 km/
h) or faster .
Driver messages
Air suspen sion : vehicle currently too low .
Level control running
Air su spension : vehicle curr ently too high .
L e vel control running
The driver message switc hes off when the lev­
el cont rol process is comp lete .

116 Parking systems
the next to last segment is disp layed . Obsta­
cles in the collision area, including those out­
side of the vehicle 's path, are shown in red. Do
not continue driving farther forward or in re­
verse
q .&. in General information on
page 114, q(f) in General information on
page 114 .
Rear view camera
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus with rear
view camera
Fig. 121 Illustration: Cross parking
F ig. 122 Illustrat ion: paralle l parking
In addition to parking system p lus
q page 115, this parking system also has a
rear view camera .
You can use
cross parking for examp le, to
park in a parking space or in a garage
q fig. 121 . You can use parallel parking if you
wou ld like to park on the side of the road
r::;, fig . 122.
General information
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus with rear
view camera
F ig. 123 Area covered (D a nd area not covered @by
the rear v iew camera
Fig. 1 24 Rea r lid: Locat ion of t he rear view camera
T he rea r view camera is located above the rear
license p late bracket . Make s ure that the lens
for the parking system
q fig. 124 is not cov ­
ered by deposits or any other obstruct ions be­
cause this can affect the function of the park­
ing system . For informat ion on cleaning, refer
to
q page 210.
The rear view camera coverage area includes
(D q fig. 123. Only this area is shown in the
Infotainment display . Objects that are outside
of this area @are not displayed.
The accuracy of the orientation lines and the
blue surfaces is reduced if the adapt ive air
suspension* is faulty, if the vehicle is lifted or if the
Dynamic mode is activated r::;, page 100 .
A WARNING
-
-Always read a nd follow the applicable
warn ings
r::;, .&. i n Ge neral information on
p age 114.
- If the position and the installation angle
-
of the rear view camer a was changed, for ~

r::> & in General information on page 116,
r::>(D in General information on page 117.
The blue area represents an extens ion of the
vehicle's outline by approximately 16 ft
(5 m) to the rear . The long side of the blue
area should be on the curb . The entire blue
area must fit into the parking space.
• With the veh icle stopped, turn the steering
wheel to the right as far as it w ill go.
• Back in to the park ing space u ntil the b lue
curve
r::> fig . 128 touches the curb r::> & in
General information on page 116,
r::> (D in
General information on page 117 .
Stop the
vehicle.
• With the veh icle stopped , turn the steer ing
whee l to the left as far as it will go .
• Continue to back into the parking space un ­
t il the vehicle is parked pa rallel to the cu rb
r::> & in General information on page 116,
r::> (D in General information on page 117.
@ marks the rear bumper . Stop the veh icle,
at the latest, when the red orientation line
@ borders an object. Keep an eye on the
front of your vehicle whi le do ing th is .
Pa rking next to obstacles
If there is an obstacle (s uc h a s a wall) next to
the par king space, position the veh icle so
there is more space o n that s ide. Position the
l ong side of the blue s urface so that there is
sufficient space from the obstacle . The sur­
face must not be to uch ing . You will also need
to star t turning the steer ing wheel much ear­
lier . The blue curve
r::> fig . 128 must not touch
the obstacle and should have sufficient room.
(D Note
Remember to maintain sufficient clear­
ance from the curb to avoid damag ing the
wheel rims .
(D Tips
The left or right orientation lines and sur­
faces will be displayed, depend ing on the
turn sig na l being used.
P arking systems 119
Peripheral cameras
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus with periph­
eral cameras
In add ition to parking system plus
¢
page 115, this parking system conta ins pe ­
ripheral cameras . Depending on the vehicle
equipment , you are ass isted by vario us views
su ch a s p eriphera l view, corne r views a t the
fron t and rear of the veh icle, and views di rect­
ly in front of or behind t he vehicle .
General information
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus with periph­
eral cameras
F ig . 12 9 Locat io n of per ip hera l ca meras
Depending on the vehicle equipment, the pe­
ripheral cameras are found in the radiator
grille, in the luggage compartment lid and on
both exterior mirrors* ¢
fig. 129 . Make su re
that the lenses a re not covered by depos its o r
any other obstr uctions as it may impa ir t he
system. For info rmat io n on clean ing, refe r to
¢ page 210.
In the peripheral mode , b lack corners are
shown in the ve hicle silhouette . Objects in
these a reas a re outside of the came ra's field
of view and are not detec ted .
The accuracy of the orientation lines and the
bl ue surfaces is reduced if the adaptive a ir
suspension* is faulty, if the vehicle is l ifted or
if t he
D ynamic mode is activa ted ¢ page 100 . ..,.

164 Airbag system
experience, informat ion and specia l
too ls necessary to perform the work
safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Material - special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/haza rdouswaste/per­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
and safety belts w it h pretens ioners are
s crapped, a ll applicable laws and regula­
tions mus t be observed. Your au thori zed
Audi dea le r is familiar with these requi re­
ments and we recommend that you have
your dea ler perfo rm this serv ice for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag Sys­
tem pe rforms in a crash. For example, us ing
tire-r im combinations not app roved by Aud i,
lowering the vehicle, ch anging the stiffness o f
the suspension, including the springs, suspen ­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the a irbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
un it. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
p le, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors a nd make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in w hich it would not dep loy if the
changes had not been made . Other kinds of
ch an ges may reduce the force levels meas­
u red by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it sho uld .
The senso rs in the safety belt buckle fo r th e
d river a nd front passe nger sea t tell the elec ­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
l atched or not .
If the safety belt is being used,
the front airbag will dep loy at a slightly high­
er rate of vehicle deceleration than if the safe­
ty belt is not being used. Therefore, in a par- t
icu lar collision, it is possible that an airbag
will not dep loy at a seat ing position where the
safety belt is be ing used b ut w ill inflate at the
pos ition where the safety belt is not be ing
used. It is important that nothing interfere
with t he safety be lt buckles so that the sen ­
sors can send the correct info rmation about
safety belt use to the electronic control un it .
_&. WARNING
Changi ng the vehicle's suspension includ ­
i ng use of unapp roved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious pe rsonal injury in a crash .
- Never install suspension components that do not have the same pe rformance
characteristics as the components o rigi­
na lly installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
App lies to vehicles : wi th knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants .
Fig . 1 61 Dr iver 's knee a irbag
T he dr iver knee airbag is in the ins trument
pane l underneath the steering wheel
~ fig. 161, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan-
el underneat h the glove compartment. .,.

A WARNING ,~
- Do not park your vehicle over flammable
materials such as grass or leaves because
the high temperature of the diesel par­
t icu late filter cou ld start a fire .
- Do not apply an underbody protectant in the exhaust system area or a fire could sta rt.
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, o r over
curbs, steep ramps, etc., make ce rtain that
l ow -lying parts such as spoi lers and exhaust
system parts do not bottom out and get dam­
aged.
This is especially true for vehicles with low ­
slung chassis (sports chassis)* and f ully load ­
ed veh icles.
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when dr iv ing t hrough water, for example on
flooded roads:
- The water must not be any higher than the
bottom of the veh icle body.
- Do not drive faster than wa lking speed.
A WARNING
After driving through water, m ud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because of wet brake roto rs and pads. Dry
the brakes fi rst by brak ing carefully to re­
sto re the full b raking effect.
- Vehicle components such as the eng ine,
transmission, suspension or e lectr ical
system can be severe ly damaged by driv­
i ng th rough water.
- Always switch off the Start-Stop-System
when driving through water
r::;> pag e 79.
-
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 203
(D Tips
-Check t he dept h of the water before d riv­
ing through it .
- Do not stop the vehicle, drive in reverse
or switch the e ngine off w hen driving
thro ugh water.
- Keep i n mind t hat oncoming vehicles
may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi ­
cle to drive through safely.
- Avo id driving through salt water because
it can cause corros ion.
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like your vehicle to remain inop­
erative for a longer period of t i me, contact an
Audi or other spec ia lized dealer. They can ad­
vise you on necessary precautions e.g . corro­
s io n prevention, maintenance and sto rage .
Pay attent io n to additional info rmation con­
ce rning the bat tery. Refe r to ¢
page 235.
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your per sonal style of driving will de termine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex ­
haust and noise levels .
Fuel economy, environme nta l impact, and
wear on your eng ine, brakes and tires la rgely
depe nd on three fac to rs:
- your personal d riving style
- operati ng conditions
- technical limitat ions
If you ant ic ipate what you need to do next and
drive economica lly, yo u can easily cut yo ur
f uel consumpt ion by 10-15 percent. This sec­
tion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help the env ironment and your pocketbook. •
•